Knox Reunion in Shanghai

Knox in Shanghai Reunion

On March 14^th, about 7073 miles (11383 km) from Knox College, a group of 6 Knox alumni, 2 prospective students, and 1 prospective parent walked into a Japanese restaurant in Shanghai, China for the first ever Shanghai Knox reunion. Out of the alumni present, 2 were from the class of 2008, 1 from 2006, 2 from 2000, and 1 from 1981. Despite the age gaps, the conversation flowed more than the sake as the alumni recounted their tales of being Knox students. Meanwhile the prospective students and the prospective mother were overloaded with an abundance of information that seemed to interest one prospective so much that she and her mother stayed later than some alumni did.

Most of the alumni that came have already been discussed in earlier blog entries (Sable Helvie and Abbie Kramer- 2008, Gina Tojo- 1981, and Lynne & David Moo- 2000). There was one new face amongst the alumni, Robin Soto (class of 2006). Up until about a month ago Robin thought she was the only Knox alumnus in Shanghai and possibly China. Knox also did not know she was there, so she did not even receive the letter announcing the Knox in China project. Then one day she was looking through the Knox Gizmogram and saw the title, “Knox in China”, and thought, “me?” She continued reading and discovered that Sable and Abbie were living and working in Suzhou, China while working on the Knox in China project. After she finished reading, she automatically sent them an email. “I just randomly read the Gizmogram and found out that there are two recent Knox graduates in China! I had no idea.... Suzhou is so close, we are practically neighbors!”

The conversation at the Japanese restaurant started with tales of studying abroad, of going for coffee with interesting professors, and, of course, of the legendary Flunk Day. The nostalgic alumni painted a vivid picture of their old lives as college students as well as the college that they still consider a home. Though many minor details change between the pictures (the mascot, the professors, etc.), the same themes still managed to appear: intellectual freedom, academic flexibility, a strong community, and the encouragement necessary for personal growth long after graduation.

Then the conversation shifted to the struggles of being a foreigner living and working in China. Advice as well as business cards were exchanged as much needed connections in a world so far away from the known and familiar were forged. In a way living here is much like going to college all over again. One has to readjust to new ways and new perspectives while learning to fend for one's self in a new environment. In such a case, it's only natural to seek out connections that share a common link. Forging a community here in China is becoming more and more important, not only for the alumni here, but also for the campus back in Galesburg. Every year Knox is becoming more and more tied to this country as the Chinese student population and the interest in Asian Studies increases. As these students graduate, the alumni community in China will be extremely beneficial.

According to Robin, there are rumors of another Knox alumnus from her class in Shanghai, but she has no idea of how to get in touch with him. The biggest question, however, is what happened to all the Chinese Knox alumni? Please help us reconnect these people to our community!

Shanghai-- Regina Tojo

Have you ever wondered who that recorded voice is on 800 numbers? In the case of the 800 numbers managed by Interactive Technologies, she is Knox. Her name is Regina (Gina) Tojo (class of 1981), and she is currently living and working in Shanghai, China. She lives just a few blocks away from the JinQiao Green Leisure & Sports Center, a place frequently visited by two other Knox alumni, Lynne and David Moo. They have probably even passed each other on the street unaware of their connection.

While we were visiting Gina (a Biology and French double major), the qualities that amazed us the most were her trusting nature, her warm presence, and youthful spirit that led us to forget the age gap between us. After our visit, Dean Bailey showed Sable the Faces picture of Gina from her first-year at Knox. Sable easily recognized her because Gina has barely aged since then. Because of this youthful appearance and spirit, during our time with Gina we kept referencing younger faculty members as well as recent changes to the campus, and were confused when she did not understand what we were referring to.

“I turned 50 years old on December 22^nd, but I still have the inquisitive mind of the Knox student that I was 3 decades ago. Every day, I learn something new, albeit not as quickly or as easily as I did 30 years ago. I am enjoying my adventure in China and am looking forward to my next.”

During Gina’s time at Knox, she was in the Knox Besancon program in France and, after graduating, she ended up staying in France for 8 years. “I had OCD, and I didn’t want to leave France until my French was perfect.” While she was there, she received her master’s degree in Linguistics and taught at the Universite de Nancy for several years. She also had an internship in Madrid, Spain for a summer. By the time she left France, she could speak five languages: English, French, Spanish, Farsi, and Serbo-Croatian.

After her time in France, she returned to her home town of Cincinnati, Ohio. She worked there for 11 years at a private language institute teaching language and culture to corporate employees who were relocating abroad. She was a teacher for 7 years and taught ESL, French, and Spanish. Then she was an administrator for 4 years. After her time there, she moved on to a company called Interactive Technologies where she was the staff linguist. It was there that she became the voice for the English, French, and Spanish options on the 800 numbers for many companies throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico, in accordance with her duties as a script translator.

Gina has been in Shanghai for over 2 years now and originally came as the General Manager of Display Specialties, Inc. (DSI). DSI is the primary supplier of fixtures and merchandising displays to supermarkets in the US and Asia. In May, they merged with a company called Fasteners for Retail (FFr). FFr has the same customer base with a different product line. The new company is called FFr-DSI, and she is their Asia Operations Manager. She manages the Asia HQ in Shanghai, as well as a satellite office in Shenzhen. Her time is China is supposed to be a temporary assignment until the office can function similar to an American work environment without having to rely on her. In order to make this possible, she has imposed rules that are unheard of in America but are necessary to reach this goal.

Gina's advice for anyone who comes to China is to “Keep an open mind and never stop learning. China and its people have so much to offer: history, culture and very warm and welcoming hearts. Be ambassadors for our country and share our culture with the Chinese people as they are very eager to learn from us as well.”

Regina's dog (Kapulina)

Beijing

Among the nearly 3 million cars in Beijing, there is one with a Knox sticker in its window. It is the second Knox sticker to appear on a car window in Beijing (that we know of), and shows just how far the Knox enthusiasm can be seen. The car belongs to Sarah and Chip Chandler (class of 1997). When Abbie and I first saw Chip, he was, of course, sporting a hat with a “K” on it and greeted us as if we were old friends although we had never met in person before. Just being fellow Knox alumni created a bond between us instantaneously. He led us up to his apartment where we had a good-old-fashioned American brunch with his wife Sarah (formerly Weed), and their two sons William (8 months old) and Quinn (3 years old). They also served us tea in Knox mugs.

Sarah (a French and Psychology double major) and Chip Chandler (a history major) contacted us before we even had a chance to contact them. They were excited by the idea of yet another group of Knox people visiting them in Beijing. They played tour guide for the group of Knox professors that came to China last year, which they enjoyed because they like to be among Knox-minded people. Last year they went back to Knox for homecoming, and really felt as though it was a true home-coming. “Knox is wonderful in that you always feel welcome there, even long after you've left it. Even 10 years after graduation, I felt like I'd never left as soon as I got back on campus (a wonderful but also scary feeling!)”, said Sarah in an email to us.

The story of Roger and Ann Taylor has met its rival: the story of Sarah and Chip Chandler. Their story is, as we Knox alumni and students say, “so Knox”. Sarah and Chip met their first week at Knox when her R.A. had a crush on his R.A. and decided to hold a BBQ for both their suites. They dated all through college and even managed to stay together when they both studied abroad. Sarah went on the Besancon program (which was the reason why she chose Knox in the first place), and Chip went to Dakar, Senegal, with Lawrence University (WI). He was one of three Knox students that participated. They spent three months in Dakar and two weeks in Paris. While Chip was in Dakar, he was only able to talk to Sarah once because he didn't have a cell phone and other forms of communication were rather limited. “Back in our day,” they said laughing at themselves for sounding older than they really are, “they were just putting dial-up internet in the rooms.”

Chip is currently working for the American Foreign Service, which has brought him, Sarah, and their family to Rwanda, Sydney, and now Beijing. When we asked how he got interested in the Foreign Service he started another story that is “so Knox”. “Back in our day we didn't have these fancy graduation speakers,” he said with irony, referring to the recent commencement speakers: Obama, Colbert, and Clinton and his former boss, Madeline Albright. Their commencement speakers were Virginia Canil and Eugene Tadie, Knox graduates and United States diplomats. Once Sarah and Chip heard the commencement speech, they became rather interested in the American Foreign Service. After the graduation ceremony, they asked the speakers how to become a part of the Foreign Service, thus leading them to where they are today.

Rwanda (their first destination with the American Foreign Service) had a lot of significance to Chip because of his study abroad experience. “He lived with a host family, got beat up just for being white (rich looking) and in the wrong place at the wrong time, had good times and bad times, so when he wanted to go back to Africa (Rwanda), I was willing to go,” wrote Sarah in an email to us. Chip is the Consul, Second Secretary as well as the Fraud Prevention Manager of the Consular Section. He investigates and prevents visa fraud, dealing with the major issues such as false companies. Although it is actually illegal for Sarah to work in China (since she is the spouse of a US diplomat), she still manages to stay busy editing the weekly Embassy newsletter from home and taking care of their two boys. Being a full-time parent abroad is a very challenging experience that has led them to have a deeper appreciation of immigrant parents in America, especially as they send Quinn to a local Chinese school where no English is written or spoken.

As you can see, the lives of Sarah and Chip Chandler are shining examples of what it means to be a true Knox alum. Their humble abode in Beijing stands as a tribute to Knox, not just because of the Knox memorabilia, but because of the friendly atmosphere and light-hearted conversations that made Abbie and I feel at home. If you don't believe us, stop by their apartment yourselves. According to them, “Any other Knox Alums who are in the neighborhood are welcome to stop by!”

Shanghai

The largest city in China (population wise), Shanghai is known for its western influence and modernity. There are several foreign companies in Shanghai as well as foreign workers. One of these foreign workers is David Moo, an actuarial consultant from the Knox class of 2000. Receiving an American salary in China has provided David with an upscale apartment with a wonderful view of the Pearl Tower (one of the more famous sights in Shanghai). He lives there with his wife Lynne Wymore Moo (Knox class of 1999) and their two daughters (Lilly, Knox class of 2027, and Sofia, Knox class of 2029). Lynne has risen to the challenge of raising her children abroad, which amazes both Abbie and myself after having a challenging time on our own in China. Lynne and David decided to work and raise their family abroad after having enjoyed their own study abroad experiences as Knox students (Lynne in London and David in Budapest). When they first decided to go to Shanghai, they contacted the Knox Alumni Office to see if there were any alumni living in Shanghai so that they could start creating a social network. The list they received was mainly full of current students and parents, so they seemed extremely happy when I contacted them.

The Moos opened their home to Abbie, Lin, and me (after only knowing us via the Knox Alumni Relations Office), and we greatly enjoyed their hospitality. They even invited us back for whenever we want to visit Shanghai again, need to pass through, or are experiencing culture shock and would like western food. David even put us in contact with his coworker, Lisa, who commutes between Shanghai and Suzhou everyday. She accompanied us on our trip home to help us learn all the secrets of taking the train. Our time in Shanghai taught us that building valuable connections is like throwing a pebble into a pond. The pebble may be small, but it ripples out. However, Knox alums have boulders instead of pebbles-- the ripples keep extending till they reach the banks of the pond. In return for the Moo's help, we offered free unlimited babysitting for a year based upon availability as well as help with packing when they move to their new apartment (which will be closer to Lilly's school). This is how we believe the Knox community should work abroad—providing a family away from home.

Chengdu, Sichuan

Abbie and I first arrived in Chengdu, China in the Sichuan Province on July 20th. Chengdu is home to two current Knox students, Lin Shi and Yi Rao (both class of 2011). Our two weeks in Chengdu were quite an adventure, but, thanks to Lin Shi, the adventures weren't as frustrating as I imagined. Lin Shi is known for her multi-tasking abilities since she is the co-president for Chinese Club, program president for Friends Across Borders (FAB), is in two committees for Student Senate, plays rugby, works in the CTL as a Chinese tutor, is a T.A. for one of the Chinese classes, and is involved in Union Board. During our time with her, she has put her multi-tasking abilities to good use and has played hostess, translator, and tour guide, and, with the help of her family and high school friend Janet, has done a terrific job! Lin hasn't decided on her majors, but is leaning towards Biology and Environmental Studies. After she goes to graduate school in the United States, Lin wants to take what she has learned and use it to improve China. Her parents, both electrical engineers, were extremely welcoming to us. For the four days before we arrived in Chengdu, they played host to another one of Lin's Knox friends, Wandi Yang. Wandi, also class of 2011, stayed with Lin while she took care of her visa to return to the U.S. Reed, another Knox student, will also stay with her when Lin returns from traveling with us. As you can see, the current Chinese Knox students are extremely connected and have already begun to recreate the Knox community here in China.

We left Chengdu August 1^st, accompanied by Lin Shi. She found an extremely good deal for airfare to Shanghai. From there we took a bus to Suzhou and then a taxi to the school where we will be working. The lady in charge of taking care of foreign teachers did speak English well, but with Lin translating we were able to speed up the communication. Lin's English far succeeds that of many so called “experts” we have encountered here. She also helped us set up bank accounts and get cell phone plans. I'm not sure where we would be without her help. Lin's help demonstrates the importance of maintaining a Knox community abroad-- so that the Knox alumni here can help each other and provide the support needed by those far from their families.

Introduction

Interest in China is becoming more prevalent at Knox, thanks in part to an increasing population of students from China and students interested in China. Last year, seven students from China joined the Knox community, and this year 11 more will join them. These students have already made a significant impact on the Knox community and have ambitious plans for their time at Knox and beyond. These ambitions have led to the Chinese Club becoming more active than ever before. In fact, the club raised more than $1,100 for victims of the earthquake in the Sichuan province this past spring.

Not only are the Chinese students at Knox becoming more active, but other students are becoming more interested in China as well. During the upcoming academic year, Knox will offer two group trips to China—one in the fall for teaching English, and one during the summer for physics students. Furthermore, the newly added Chinese language classes are growing steadily in popularity each year. This interest extends beyond the students’ years at Knox. Alumni involvement in China is growing as well, with several alumni working and teaching in China.

We, as Knox’s most recent alumni, are proud to be a part of the Knox community, as well as representatives of Knox in China. As we work as foreign teachers in Suzhou for the next year, we will travel to meet with other Knox alumni in China in order to help create a more connected Knox community here. We will keep a blog of our travels, including updates of alumni activity in China, which will be available online here or by mail upon request.

Are you a Knox alumnus, parent, current student, or admitted/prospective student living or traveling in China? Please let us know about your current activities—we’d even love to arrange a visit with you. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sable's Cell: 15862326109
Sable's Email: SableH23@yahoo.com
Abbie's Cell: 15862501292
Abbie's Email: ARKramer@live.com